Marquette grows well in the New Hampshire climate and makes a very palate pleasing wine. With a deep ruby hue that paints the glass, along with hints of plumped tart cherries, hints of leather, and light tannins, makes this a nicely balanced wine. This has been aged in American Oak Barrels.
Owner and winemaker Darren Horn gives a brief introduction to the Marquette style. “Our Marquette is a locally grown grape here in New Hampshire. It makes a very good medium body wine and it goes great with any barbecue or steak dishes that you may have. It is ruby in color and little hints of tannin with just a slight hint of leather.”
“The outcome of Marquette’s crossings is a variety with high sugar levels and moderate acidity.”
More About Marquette
Marquette is a blue/black-berried variety crossed in 1989 and introduced in 2006 by the University of Minnesota in the United States. Marquette is the cousin of Frontenac, a well-known French-American hybrid, and the grandson of Pinot Noir.
Marquette is promising for cold-climate producers in North America, and a number of plantings have been established in Minnesota, Vermont and New York State.
The university developed Marquette to be cold-hardy as well as resistant or less susceptible to fungi such as powdery mildew and black rot that can plague vines. The outcome of Marquette’s crossings is a variety with high sugar levels and moderate acidity.
Grape bunches are small-to-medium sized, with small-to-medium berries.
Marquette wines are typically medium-bodied, with aromas of cherries, blackcurrants and blackberries. In better examples, more complex aromas such as tobacco and leather may also be exhibited, with spicy pepper notes on the finish.
“more complex aromas such as tobacco and leather may also be exhibited”
How Marquette Got Its Name
Jesuit missionary Jacques Marquette was two weeks shy of his 36th birthday while his exploration partner Louis Joliet was a 27-year-old philosophy student turned fur trader when they left St. Ignace, at the head of Lake Michigan, on May 17, 1673.
In two canoes paddled by five voyageurs, they followed the southern coast of what is now Michigan’s Upper Peninsula and made their way down the shore of Green Bay, arriving at the mouth of the Fox River about June 1.
The expedition would eventually travel down the Mississippi far enough to determine that the “Father of Waters” flowed into the Gulf of Mexico. Being among the first Europeans to travel through Wisconsin, it is more than fitting that a grape that helped open the way to a thriving viticulture in the state bears his name.
In the mid 1970s, the University of Minnesota began to develop grape hybrids that could weather northern winters. Peter Hamstad was the lead researcher in the project.
“I can remember selecting the Marquette in the first place,” he recalls. “It’s a great combination of cold hardiness, early ripening, and high-quality fruit, which make it an excellent combination for high-quality wine.” Now more than three decades later, the Marquette has become one of the most-grown varieties in the Midwest.
The Marquette is the result of an extensive cross-breeding program at the U of M. The first cross was with a northern variety that has a very hardy vine, but a lesser quality grape. Then the team crossed that with a French strain, which produced an outstanding wine but had a weak vine. The result was the perfect combination, and after many years of further testing, the Marquette was released in 2006.
Pairings
Marquette pairs beautifully with lamb, roast duck, NY Strip Steak and even blackened walleye. Goat cheese, brie, walnuts and Creme Brulee also pair well.
Sources: https://www.wine-searcher.com/grape-1889-marquette